Michael is baptized a Jeovah’s Witness at the Kingdom Hall of Los Angeles.
Michael hires Marlon Brando’s son, Miko Bando.
Janet meets dancers Terry Bixler & Anthony Thomas during a private dance audition for Thriller at Hayvenhurst. They introduce her to Rene Elizondo Jr and they become friends.
January : Katherine, LaToya, Michael & Janet move back to Hayvenhurst now equipped with a second story to the bedrooms, upstairs a den and a gym, downstairs a game room and a thirty-two-seat movie theatre and off the entry hall, a trophy room.
January 2 : The single “Billie Jean” is released by Epic. It will peak at #1 on Hot 100 Billboard.
January 10 : “Come Give Your Love To Me” is released as the 2nd single from “Janet Jackson”. It will peak at #58 on Hot 100 Billboard. Janet does not shoot a video for this single.
January 17 : Janet attends the American Music Awards.
January 31 : Michael shoots a short film for the song “Billie Jean” directed by Steve Barron.
February : Janet is on the cover of Ebony magazine with Different Strokes’ partner Todd Bridges
Michael goes to London to work on songs with Paul MacCartney.
While in London he visits his friend Mark Lester.
February 04 : LaToya, Janet and Joe Jackson attend the R&B Awards in Los Angeles.
February 5 : In Los Angeles, Janet performs “Say You Do” on Solid Gold.
February 8 : Michael attends the Brit Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London with Paul & Linda McCartney. He accepts an award on behalf of Barbara Streisand.
February 10 : In Bremen (Germany), Janet performs “Young Love” on Musikladen.
February 14 : The single “Beat It” is released by Epic.It will peak at #1 on Hot 100 Billboard.
February 17 : Michael is on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine with exclusive photos and an interview by Gerri Hirchey.
February 25 : Jane Fonda & Michael attend the presentation of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ album certified twice platinum at CBS Records in Century City.
Michael gives an interview to Entertainment Tonight.
March : Michael is on the cover of Rock & Soul magazine.
The Jackson do not renew the managing contract of Weisner & DeMann.
March 9 : On Skid Row, east of Hollywood , Michael begins filming the “Beat It”short film , directed by Bob Giraldi & choreographed by Michael Peters with 25 dancers and 50 actual Los Angeles gang members. The video costs $ 150 000! Tom Joyner interviews Michael on the “Beat It” set for Ebony/Jet Celebrity Showcase.
March 10 : The “Billie Jean” short film is added to MTV’s playlist which is seen as a major breakthrough for a black artist.
March 12 : The co-managing contract between Joe Jackson, Weisner & De Mann expires.
March 20 : Michael & LaToya attend the “Dreamgirls” opening night after party at the Shubert theater in Century City
March 25 : Michael & The Jacksons tape a performance at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium for “Motown 25th: Yesterday, Today & Forever” TV special. For the first time since 1975, all the Jackson brothers including Jermaine & Randy are reunited on stage for a medley of the Jackson 5 hits followed by a solo performance of “Billie Jean” during which Michael showcases his first ever public performance of the Moonwalk. At the end of the show, Michael joins Diana Ross and all the Motown stars on stage to pay tribute to Berry Gordy.
March 31 : The “Beat It” short film has its world premiere on MTV during prime time. Soon after its premiere the video is also running on other video programs including BET’s Video Soul, SuperStation WTBS’s Night Tracks, and NBC’s Friday Night Videos. In fact, “Beat It” is the first video shown on the latter’s first ever telecast on July 29, 1983.
April : At his home recording studio in Hayvenhurst, Michael starts working on new songs written by Buz Kohan for a Peter Pan movie project with Steven Spielberg : “Neverland Landing”, “Make a Wish”, “I’m Peter Pan” and “Happy Song”.
April 1 : Janet poses with Sammy Davis jr at an unknown event.
April 6 : Michael attends a post concert party for Liza Minnelli at the New Universal Amphitheater, Hollywood with Quincy Jones & David Geffen.
April 16 : Michael & Samir Kamoun don Charlie Chaplin outfits to pay tribute to him on his birthday.
April 25 : Michael is on the cover of Jet magazine.
April 29 : “Say You Do” is released as the 3rd single from “Janet Jackson”. The song is not charted on Hot 100 Billboard. Janet does not shoot a video for this single.
May 8 : The single “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin” is released by Epic. It will peak at #5 on Hot 100 Billboard. Michael does not shoot a video for this single.
May 16 : NBC broadcasts the two hour special “Motown 25th: Yesterday, Today & Forever” TV special. The show is watched by 47 millions American. Michael watches it at Hayvenhurst with the Jackson family.
“Love Is My Best Friend” is released at the 4th single from “Janet Jackson”. Janet does not shoot a video for this single.
May 17 : Fred Astaire & Hermes Pan call him to congratulate on his ‘Billie Jean” performance. Later Fred Astaire invites Michael to his home to teach him the Moonwalk. Soon after, Gene Kelly visits Michael at Hayvenhurst.
June : Michael is on the cover of Creem magazine.
At Hayvenhurst, Michael is presented with a Telegatto Award for Artist of the Year from a journalist of Italian weekly magazine TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. Michael is photographed with the award in the trophy room of his house, a space where he gathered all of his awards.
Member of The Jacksons World Fan-Club receive an improvised and unreleased song from the group named “The Surprise Song”. The Jacksons reveal that they are working on a brand new album and world tour.
Michael meets John Barnes and they start working on new songs such as Buffalo Bill or Liberian Girl. Soon later, Michael meets record producer and songwriter Bill Bottrell. Barnes, Bottrell and Matt Forger will become Michael’s close musical team for the next four years.
June 22 : Michael decides not to renew his managing contract with Joe, Weisner & DeMann.
July : Michael is rumoured to work with Steven Spielberg on a new adapatation of the children fairy tale Peter Pan.
July 12 : The single Human Nature is released by Epic. It will peak at #7 on Hot 100 Billboard. Michael does not shoot a video for this single.
July 1 : Latoya and Michael attend the Black Radio Exclusive Convention at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
July 9 : Michael appears on the cover of the teenage magazine Top.
July 18 : “Don’t Mess Up This Good Thing” is released at the 5th and final single from the album “Janet Jackson”. Janet does not shoot a video for this single.
July 29 : Janet records vocals for a song for a Mountain Dew Jingle commercial. Written/produced by Deborah McDuffie.The name of the track on the cassette is: “Brothers and Sisters”, though Deborah titled it “Dew it To It”. Janet poses for a picture with Cheryl Lynn, Luther Vandross, James Ingram, Denice Williams, Jennifer Holiday, Howard Hewett,Caroline Jones, David Lasley and Deborah McDuffie during the recording session for the Mountain Dew Jingle commercial.
August : Queen are at the Record Plant in LA to record their album “The Works”, and on one of the days shortly before the first recording session begin, Freddie and his assistant Peter Freestone visit MJ at Hayvenhurst. Togeher they record three demos : “State Of Shock”, “Victory” and “There Must Be More To Life Than This”.
Michael has a meeting with Epic records head of promotion, Frank Dileo in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Michael asks him if he would be interested in managing him.
Michael gives a radio interview to De Ann Collins (KMJQ/Houston’s News & Public Affair Director) at Hayvenhurst. It’s broadcasted on radio stations around the US.
Daily Mirror competition winner Susan Coburn meets Michael at Hotel Coronado in San Diego with Jonathan Morrish. Michael invites Daily Mirror reporter, Jonathan Morrish and his wife to Hayvenhurst the day after. Michael introduces them to his pets Louie the llama and Muscles as he gives them a personally conducted tour of his security guarded California home.
August 14 : Michael attends David Bowie’s “Serious Moonlinght” concert at the Forum in LA. Backstage he poses with David Bowie, Bette Midler and Cher.
August 20 : Pre-production begins on the Thriller short film directed by John Landis & choreographed by Michael Peters. Director John Landis and his producing partner, George Folsey Jr. visit Michael Jackson at Hayvenhurst to talk about the making of a short film for Thriller.
Michael attends a James Brown’s concert at the Beverly Theatre with John Barnes and Bill Bray. James invites him on stage to sing and dance! Later that night Prince also comes on stage!
August 22 : A picture published in Jet magazine shows Michael at the bedside of Bessie Henderson, a 41-year-old seamstress, accompanied by Dr. Hoefflin at the Brotman Memorial Hospital in Culver City. “Bessie had undergone numerous operations and was very depressed,” reported Hoefflin, the young woman’s plastic surgeon. “When Michael started calling her, things changed and she got much better.”
September : It is announced that The Jacksons will tour the US in 1984.
Michael is on the cover of Black Beat magazine.
September 6 : Michael signs an agreement through his production company Optimum Productions, that will pay John Landis 50 per cent of net profits from both the Thriller video and the documentary.
Michael is presented by CBS with 36 gold and platinum plaques from 19 different countries, all the “Thriller” LP and singles from it, at the San Diego presentation with Quincy Jones, CBS Records Group President Walter Yetnikoff and his staff.
September 19 : The single “P.Y.T (Pretty Young Things)” is released by Epic and it features Janet & Latoya doing background vocals. It will peak at #10 on Hot 100 Billboard. Michael does not shoot a video for this single.
September 25 : Michael’s performance at the Motown 25th is shown at the Emmy Awards Ceremony where it is nominated but does not win.
September 30 : The Jacksons sign boxing tycoon, Don King, as promoter of their forthcoming tour.
October : Michael is on the cover of People, Interview, Globe & Rock & Soul magazines.
October 3 : A new duet between Michael & Paul MacCartney named “Say Say Say” is released by Columbia Records. It will peak at #1 on Hot 100 Billboard.
In the October 3, 1983, issue of the New York Post, columnist Cindy Adams reports : “Michael Jackson, the 25-year-old hottest name in music whose last album sold 14 million copies, is getting back together with his old family, The Jackson Five. Boxing promoter Don King has just promoted this knockout of deal to launch his own entrance into the music business…. In six months King did what Kismet couldn’t d in five years. He signed all the Jacksons to go on to together…. This, possibly the biggest concert tour eve will be in ’84. It’ll be 40 dates. It’ll kick off domesticall then go international. It will be sponsored by one of largest corporations in the United States.”
October 4 : Michael & Paul shoot the video in a little town called Los Alamos, about 70 miles from LA. Latoya Jackson & Linda Mac Cartneyare feautured in the short film. During the filming, Michael stays at Sycamore Valley Ranch who will one day become his Neverland Valley Ranch. The first shot is just of Paul, Linda and Michael looking over a truck. After being made up and in costume, Paul and Linda are on set, when it’s “Lights, action!” just like in the movies. It all goes well that first morning, except that one of the grips falls off a ladder, and is a bit shaken, so we break for lunch early. He’s okay, though, just a slightly sprained wrist. The local girls have laid on this beautiful barbeque for lunch. After lunch, Paul, Linda and Michael go out to meet a bunch of local school kids who’d come down with their headmaster. They all sign autographs and chat to the kids. After lunch, we move on up to the orphanage to film a scene. Paul and Linda’s daughter, Heather, is in this scene.
October 5 : Second day of filming for the “Say Say Say” short film.
October 6 : Last day of shooting—the scene in the warehouse/studio where the “Mac & Jack Show” really gets underway, with Paul and Michael dancing around in check suits. The “Fred Astaire” routine with the top hat goes a bit wrong when Paul’s top hat keeps sticking to his head! Anyway it’s all sorted out, and Paul goes into costume as the magician with his magic cauldron.
October 11-20 : Michael shoots the “Thriller “short film in Los Angeles.
Jackie Kennedy Onassis visits him on the set and they have dinner together at Hayvenhurst. The next day, Michael takes Jackie to Disneyland.
October 31 : Paul McCartney’s album Pipes of Peace is released ,which contains two duets with Michael, ‘Say Say Say’ and ‘The Man’.
November : At his home recording studio in Hayvenhurst, Michael starts working on new songs for the upcoming “Victory” album including “Be Not Always”, “Buffalo Bill”, “State Of Shock”,”Chicago 1945″, “Dream Away”, “Dirty Diana” and “Liberian Girl”.
Michael records a new version of “Billie Jean” for the upcoming Pepsi commercials at the Soundcastle studio with Bill Bottrell and John Barnes.
At Hayvenhurst, Michael and LaToya are filmed talking and singing together. This private home movie is sold a few years later. In the video, we can hear Michael singing the song “Peter Pan” and he mentions working on songs “Buffalo Bill” and “Liberian Girl” for the upcoming Jacksons album.
Michael & Diana Ross are on the cover of Ebony.
Michael & Quincy return to the Westlake studios to make an interview about Thriller.
The “Thriller” single is released in Europe.
November 11: A $5 million endorsement contract is signed between The Jacksons & Pepsi Cola involving sponsorship of the Victory Tour & two TV commercials.
November 14 : Michael attends the premiere of the Thriller short film with a private audience at the Crest Theater in Los Angeles. In attendance were Diana Ross, Warren Beatty, Prince, Eddie Murphy and many more “A-list” stars. Michael stays in the projection booth so that others such as actress Ola Ray could bask in the attention.
November 30 : Michael attends a press conference at New York’s Tavern On The Green to announce plans for the Victory Tour. He is accompanied by his parents & sisters (in the audience), his brothers and his sisters in law. Also present are singing stars Patti LaBelle, Roberta Flack, noted actors Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Andy Warhol, Peter Max and a young boy named Emmanuel Lewis (star of the TV show Webster). During the conference Don King announce The Jacksons’s Victory Tour sponsored by Pepsi.
After the press conference, Michael calls for a meeting in his suite at the Helmsley Palace with John Branca ans his brothers. He is not happy with Don King and decides to hire Bill Graham to handle the Victory Tour.
December : Michael spends two weeks at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida. He stays at the Hotel Royal Plaza where his suite is named the Michael Jackson suite.
During his stay, MJ records new songs with George Atwell, the organist and composer-in-residence at the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. In June 2009, after Michael’s passing, the musician shared memories of his collaboration with the King of Pop on the website orlandosentinel.com. Atwell worked on a few of Michael’s songs (which, to his knowledge, were never released) in the private suite the singer was occupying at Disney’s Royal Plaza. The elevator kept ringing all night as curious fans tried to get to the upper floor to catch a glimpse of the King of Pop. “After the release and success of Thriller, Michael Jackson came on vacation to Orlando and, through mutual musician friends in Los Angeles and Orlando, he asked us to help him produce four demos of songs he had in mind. I was the in-house producer at Bee Jay Recording Studios in Orlando at the time, and we gathered some keyboards, a LinnDrum machine (which played sampled drum sounds), a guitar, and a bass, and the four of us went to meet him at the Royal Plaza Hotel (on the 13th floor). He was extremely kind, polite, and concerned about whether we were okay, if we were too tired, if we were hungry, etc. He was working with Pepsi at the time, and the first thing we saw in the sink were three large bottles of Pepsi… a true sponsor! Since Michael couldn’t read music, he took each of us, one by one, into a room and worked on each part until he got exactly what he wanted to hear. He would sing the part, we’d play it, then we’d tweak it, change expressions, chord structures, etc., until he said, ‘Yes, that’s it!’ There was a guard sitting outside his room, and while we worked into the early hours of the morning, we could hear the elevator bell ringing. All night long, fans were trying to get close to Michael. They tried to bribe the guard by any means possible (I’ll let you imagine how!) to get in, but of course, they never succeeded. We worked on the tracks at the hotel. He later took everything to the recording studio, where we laid down all the tracks and he sang over them. What I remember most about those sessions was that vocally, he never missed a beat! The only times the tape had to be rewound were when the engineer was late on a take or when there was a technical issue. He sang the lead vocals and all three backing vocal parts, recording each part three times, flawlessly. He didn’t sit at a piano to work out the harmonies (as is usually done); he just sang them naturally! His incredible “ear” and the rhythmic precision of his finger snaps while recording the guide tracks for us to follow are forever etched in my brain. There was a very specific groove to the rhythm, and he alone seemed to know how to find it.
At the studio, we were all sitting in the lounge watching the premiere of Thriller on MTV. He was like a kid… he couldn’t believe the video was playing on MTV, that the Thriller album was number one on the charts… all that, even after so many number-one hits he had already had up to that point (he was 24 at the time).”
December 2 : The 14 minutes short film of Thriller is premiered on MTV.
December 8 : Michael & Paul Mac Cartney are on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine (not a photo but a drawing of them).
December 14 : “The Making Of Thriller” is released on VHS and it will become the most biggest selling music video of all time!
December 21 : Recording session at Hayvenhurst for “Liberian Girl”.
Jackson Dynasty 